'No plans' to reduce speed limit to 10mph in Wales
It comes as a Welsh government minister called the suggestion of reducing the limit to 5 or 10mph an "interesting" idea.
Jane Hutt, the Trefnydd (leader of the house), made the comments in the Senedd earlier this week, in response to a report by the Road Safety Foundation.
The Road Safety Foundation said in a statement that it had "not made any recommendations about what speed limits would be appropriate".
Its technical research paper noted that "translating these findings into policy and practice is complex" and that further work was needed to "develop comprehensive speed management guidelines".
Responding to a question in the Welsh parliament on the report, Ms Hutt said: "It is interesting that that association did come forward with proposals, based on evidence, that in some circumstances... 10mph, 5mph is appropriate in terms of road speeds."
She said the evidence had shown the rollout of the 20mph speed limit had "not only saved lives, cut insurance bills, but actually has now been welcomed by the people of Wales".
New data released on Wednesday revealed the number of collisions on 20mph and 30mph roads was at a record low in 2024 - the first full year since the default speed limit in Wales was changed in September 2023.
Former leader of the Welsh Conservatives Andrew RT Davies said the minister's failure to rule out a further reduction in the speed limit was "ludicrous".
But Ken Skates, the cabinet secretary for transport, said there are "no plans to reduce speed limits to 10mph in Wales".
A YouGov poll published this week found more than half (52%) of people in Britain would oppose a 10mph speed limit.
On Wednesday, Mr Skates was in Wrexham as the first roads in North Wales were changed back to 30mph.
Mr Skates said the change in limit in some areas was "about getting the right speeds on the right roads".
It follows a review of the guidance for local authorities, commissioned by the government, after a record-breaking petition on the Senedd's website called for the policy to be reversed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Wales Online
7 hours ago
- Wales Online
The exact date £1 bus fares in Wales will begin
The exact date £1 bus fares in Wales will begin All young people aged between 16 and 21 in Wales will be entitled to discounted bus fares from next month A discounted bus fare scheme for young people will start in September (Image: WalesOnline/Rob Browne) There are just two weeks to go until all young people in Wales aged between 16 and 21 will be able entitled to discounted bus fares. As part of a pilot scheme which begins on September 1, single fares for those in this age group will cost £1 and there will be £3 day tickets available too. In order to take advantage of the discounted bus fares, young people are being reminded that they need to sign up for a free mytravelpass. In September, the scheme will only be available for those aged between 16 and 21 but it will be extended for younger children in the coming months. It was previously reported that Welsh Government's pledge to offer all those under the age of 21 bus travel for £1 had not been fully agreed with bus operators before they were announced in the budget, raising concerns that children aged between 11 and 15 could end up paying more for public transport compared to those aged between 16 and 21. However, the Welsh Government has since announced that it will invest a further £7m to extend the scheme to 5 to 15-year-olds, from November 3. The plans were first announced in February this year as part of the Welsh Government's budget for the 2025-26 financial year. There had been concerns about whether the budget would pass as due to the way the Senedd has been elected, Labour needed support from another Senedd member but a deal with the Senedd's sole Liberal Democrat MS Jane Dodds meant the budget went through. Article continues below The concessions she got from finance minister Mark Drakeford in return included a pledge for single bus fares priced at £1 for those under 21. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here £15m has been allocated over two financial years (2025-26 and 2026-27) to support the discounted bus fares for 16-21-year-olds. Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales Ken Skates said: 'This scheme will make a real difference to young people across Wales, and will allow them to make journeys for work, education and leisure at a discounted price. Article continues below 'I would encourage those who don't yet have a mytravelpass to apply so they can take full advantage of the scheme when it begins on September 1.'
The Independent
7 hours ago
- The Independent
Rachel Reeves to take aim at environmental protections in bid to speed up infrastructure projects, say reports
Rachel Reeves is preparing to strip back environmental protections in an attempt to accelerate infrastructure building and boost the economy, according to reports. The chancellor is considering major reforms that would make it more difficult for wildlife concerns to hold up developments, according to The Times. Treasury officials are said to be drafting another planning reform bill, the publication reported. The move reportedly involves tearing up parts of European environmental rules, which developers have argued slow down crucial projects. While Labour ministers have previously insisted their current planning overhaul would balance growth with nature, Ms Reeves is understood to believe that the government must go further. The Planning and Infrastructure Bill going through Parliament overrides existing habitat and nature protections, which, if passed, would allow developers to make general environmental improvements and pay into a nature restoration fund that improves habitats on other sites. But Ms Reeves is considering more contentious reforms that are likely to trigger further backlash from environmental groups, according to The Times. Among the changes under discussion are plans for a smaller, UK-only list of protected species, which would give less weight to wildlife considered rare across Europe but relatively common in Britain, The Times said. Ms Reeves is also reportedly considering abolishing the EU 'precautionary principle' that forces developers to prove projects will have no impact on protected natural sites. Instead, a new test would assess the risks and benefits of building. The chancellor is also exploring limits on legal challenges from environmental campaigners. Speaking to the House of Lords economic affairs committee last month, Ms Reeves said: 'The reason that HS2 is not coming to my city of Leeds anymore anytime soon, is because I'm afraid, as a country, we've cared more about the bats than we have about the commuter times for people in Leeds and West Yorkshire, and we've got to change that, 'Because I care more about a young family getting on the housing ladder than I do about protecting some snails, and I care more about my energy bills and my constituents than I do about the views of people from their windows.' High-profile examples of costly protections include the £100m Buckinghamshire 'bat tunnel' built to protect wildlife from HS2 trains and the so-called 'fish disco' at Hinkley Point C nuclear plant, which uses sound to deter fish from cooling system intakes. The existing Planning and Infrastructure Bill already proposes a 'nature restoration fund' under which developers could offset environmental damage by paying for conservation schemes elsewhere. But the bill has faced criticism from both environmental groups and developers, who fear it will fail to speed up construction. Paul Miner of the countryside charity CPRE told The Times that targeting habitats regulations would 'take us backwards rather than forwards on nature recovery'.
Times
8 hours ago
- Times
Rachel Reeves to cut ‘bats and newts' in boost to developers
Rachel Reeves is preparing to strip back environmental protections in an effort to boost the economy by speeding up infrastructure projects. The chancellor is considering reforms that would make it far harder for concerns about nature to stop development, which she insists is crucial to restoring growth and improving living standards. The Treasury has begun preparing for another planning reform bill and is thinking about tearing up key parts of European environmental rules that developers say are making it harder to build key projects. Labour ministers have repeatedly insisted that their current planning overhaul will not come at the expense of nature, promising a 'win-win' system where developers will pay to offset environmental damage. But Reeves is understood to believe that the government must go significantly further, after expressing frustration that the interests of 'bats and newts' are being allowed to stymie critical infrastructure. She has tasked officials with looking at much more contentious reforms, which are likely to provoke a furious backlash from environmentalists and cause unease for some Labour MPs. A smaller, UK-only list of protected species is being planned, which would place less weight on wildlife — including types of newt — that is rare elsewhere in Europe but more common in Britain. Developers would also no longer have to prove that projects would have no impact on protected natural sites, under plans that would abolish the 'precautionary principle' enshrined in European rules. Instead, a new test would look at risks and benefits of potential projects. Further curbs to judicial review are also being considered by Reeves to stop key projects being delayed by legal challenges from environmentalists. No decisions have been made, but work is underway and Treasury sources acknowledged there was a growing belief that the government needed to go further, as Reeves says she wants to make boosting Britain's sluggish productivity the centrepiece of her autumn budget. She argued this week that building more infrastructure such as roads and railways were crucial to this aim. A Planning and Infrastructure Bill currently going through parliament attempts to encourage development through a 'nature restoration fund' through which developers will be allowed to press ahead with projects by setting up schemes elsewhere to offset their environmental impact. • The grid is struggling — and our green future hangs in the balance But the plan has been criticised by environmental groups while also attracting scepticism from some developers, who fear it will not work in practice and do little to speed up building. Lord Hunt of Kings Heath, who stood down as energy minister in May, is urging his former colleagues to go further to achieve Labour's promise of 150 major infrastructure projects. 'While I think the planning bill will work for housing, I don't think it is sufficiently focused on the major infrastructure projects, so it is encouraging that the Treasury is going to have another look at whether we've really got this right,' he said. 'The government has to face up to the tensions in the Habitat Regulations which are making it hard to build essential infrastructure and the reality is that at some point someone needs to make a hard decision and say 'on some things, you just have to press ahead'.' The rules, which incorporate the EU Habitats Directive into British law, ban killing of hundreds of species, including types of bats, news, voles, snails, spiders, insects and woodlice. Developers must prove there is no risk to protected sites and species before being allowed to go ahead with projects, under rules which critics say impose an 'impossibly high standard' on vital projects. Reeves is increasingly sympathetic to such criticism, after repeatedly hitting out at 'ridiculous' environmental protections. She said last month that she cared 'more about the young family getting on the housing ladder than I do about protecting some snails', after a speech in January in which she said developers should be able to 'focus on getting things built, and stop worrying about bats and newts'. Sir Keir Starmer has also expressed frustration with the ability of campaigners to delay projects through legal challenges, and is already introducing rules which limit judicial review to override the 'whims of nimbys'. Campaign groups and residents, who currently have three opportunities to apply for judicial review, which will be reduced to two, or one in cases deemed by a judge 'totally without merit'. Reeves is now considering allowing only one opportunity to bring any challenge. Some Labour MPs and peers want her to go further by using dedicated acts of parliament to prevent any legal challenge to specific named projects. The plans are at an early stage and are likely to cause tension with ministers in other departments who have pledged to protect the environment. Paul Miner, of the countryside charity CPRE, said targeting habitats regulations would 'take us backwards rather than forwards on nature recovery', adding: 'We urge the government to drop the worn-out 'builders versus blockers' narrative which wrongly frames climate and nature as being in conflict with economic growth.' Becky Pullinger, of the Wildlife Trusts, said maintaining environmental standards was 'essential if we are to achieve targets to protect and restore the natural world which is suffering huge declines, saying Reeves should abandon 'the myth that deregulation will lead to economic growth'. But Robbie Owen, head of infrastructure planning at Pinsent Masons, said: 'Ministers are finally realising that their rhetoric about reform doesn't match up up the reality of their bill. We have been saying to ministers and officials all year that the bill needs to go further and it seems that message has finally been heard.'
